Gasket material



March 3, 1942. K. MICHEL Erm. 2,275,085

- GASKET MATERIAL Filed June v19, 1941 strands mayfbe compose Patented Mar. 3, 1942y GASKETMATERJAL 'Karl Michel, Stuttgart-Hafen, and Eugen Hutzenlaub, Stuttgart, Germany .Application June 19, 1941, serial No. 399,952 In Germany September 13, 1939 ,3 Claims.

The present invention relates to flexible material for making gaskets andto gaskets made of the said material. The present invention also relates to resilient materiall to be laid or placed under a machine or other object to support it or to servel as a resilient support for something. The gasket forming material prepared according -to the present invention is particularly-useful in forming] cylinder head gaskets for internal combustion engines, for example, such as are used in automobiles.

According to the present invention -a woven fabric is prepared from narrow flat metal threads or strands and round, lor approximately round, metallic yarn spun from metallic wool, as more fully appears hereinafter. The round') or approximately round metallic wool yarns or strands are prepared from metallic wool, for example,

steel wool, aluminum wool and copper wool., .Round metallic yarn which is utilizable in the present invention is illustrated and described, for

example, in then following U. S. A. Patents No.

granted May 12, 1914. The term round Ias used in this description refers to the cross section of this yarn and the term round is intended to include round,approximately round, oval and intermediate shapes. The expressions "metallic wool strands or'strands of metallic wool are intended to include a bundle of the metallic wool in the form of a long mass of thread or cord-like shape, twisted or'untwisted, and also compound yarnsv formed from two or more single yarns, threads, or cords twisted together. 'I'he round metallic wool strands or yarns are used either as warp or weft in the woven fabric or gaskets ofthe present invention. v

The narrow flat threads or strands in the wovenfabric of the present invention are used either as warp or weft, and .their rthickness amounts to only a small fraction of the thickfrom these round and flat strands is smoother than it would be if it were woven wholly with round strands, particularly rif the round strands are of large enough diameter to produce appreciable humps at the crossing points of the strands in weaving.r Thus, according to the present invention, round metallic wool strands can be woven into the form, of a comparatively ilat o smooth fabric without the objection of humps or unevennesses Aproduced by the crossing of .these rounstrands/in weaving.

The narrow flat metallic strands in the fabric and gaskets according to the present invention are not greater in width than 1A; of an inch, and advantageously lessA than 1A; of an inch. The thickness of the flat metallic, strands in the fabric and gaskets according to the present invention is not greater than 1/120 ,of an inch and preferably less than 1/120 of an inch.

The round metallic wool strands may .be -of a diameter suitable for theu use or uses to which the woven material or gasket is to be applied. However, we have found that when theround metallic wool strands have a thickness or diameter of 1/8 inch or less Iand the flat metallic strands have a thickness of 1/120 of Van inch or less, irregularities or unevennesses in the thickness or diameterlof the round metallic wool.

.tened wire, or thin metal or metal foil cut into the form of narrow strips. The ilat metal x d, for example, of iron,

steel, aluminum or copper.. The roundv metallic wool strands and the dat narrow thin metallic strands are woven into the form of a fabric or cloth. Any kind" of weaving can be used, for example plainweavlng. However those kinds of weaving are preferred which produce a tight and strong woven material, for example twill weaving. The woven fabric formed ness of the woven fabric are sufficiently avoided or reduced t9 render the woven fabric partieularly suitable for .use in forming gasket material and' gaskets according to the present invention.

After the woven material is formed as above described it is impregnated with a. 4binding me-l dium which remains flexible after hardening or vbecoming hard, for example, rubber or an artificial rubber, or an artificial' resin that does not become brittle at 300 F., and after such impregnation it is subjected to high pressure and heat, for example, between heated rolls. The impreg nating medium may be incorporated in the woven fabric in a solution or liquid form, or even in. a finely divided solid Jform, as long as it hardens, or solidiiies, as a solid and binds together the strands of the fabric and bers of the ound strands together incompressed condition, pon the application of heat and pressure. The artincial resin used is of the type that hardens .when heated, a

The content of rubber, or of artillcial rubber, or of artificial resin in the impregnated fabric is kept so low that these binding materials act l practically only4 as pore llersand Ias a means 'pregnated material plastic or elastic from :any

elasticity of the binding agent per se, because the elasticity or resiliency of the nished mate- 'rial is to result alone, or. in the main, from the strands ofnme'tallic wool. Therefore, the content of bindrin the finished product is so chosen that it is present only in sumclent quantity to substantially wholly flll at least the pores of the fabric and to hold the pressed fabric in compressed condition after the pressure used in fabrication is released, whereby the pores of the fabric are practically wholly lled and the elasticity or resilience of the finished product is due practically Wholly to the resiliency of the metallic wool strands under compression in the finished product. I :f Obviously the compression in the above described operations of fabrication must not be carried so farv as to destroy elastic resilience in from round strands of metallic wool and substantially fiat strands of thin metal, the said fabric having itspores lled with a solid exible binding agent, the amount lof said binding agent being insumcient to impart an appreciable amount of elasticity from itself to the gasket material,

and the said fabric being held in compressed resilient condition by the said binding agent but being able to be further compressed when used, the said gasket materialv possessing resiliency practically wholly due to the Woven strands of metallic wool. Y

2. Gasket material comprising a fabric woven from round strands of metallic wool and substanthe finished material, since the finished material must be able to be further compressed to some extent to be useful as gasket material. 4

Gaskets of desired shape and size may then be cut in any suitable manner from the material formed as above described.

Reference is now made to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this description. In the said drawing:

LFigures land 4 sllow in plan gasket material prepared according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line c-d of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a section on the .line a-b of Figure In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 plain weavingis employed, while in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4 twill weaving is employed. In the several gures the numeral lI indicates the round strands of flne metallic wool which, after auk compression and binding in compressed condweaving and bound together with a binding agent ofthe type and in the manner' described above. We claim:

l. Gasket material comprising a fabric woven tially iiat strands'of thinmetal, the thickness of said flat metal strands being only a small fraction of the thicknessgof said round metallic wool strands, the said fabric having its pores filled with a solid flexible binding agent, the amount of said binding agent being insuicient to impart an appreciable amountof elasticity from itself to the gasket material, and the said fabric be ing held in compressed resilient condition by the said binding agent but being able to be further compressed when used, the -said gasket material possessing resiliency practically wholly due to the woven strands of metallic wool.

3. Gasket material comprising a fabric woven from round strands of metallic wool and substantially flat strands of thin'metal, the said round strands being not greater than one-eighth inch in thickness and said flat strands being ,not more sessing resiliency practically wholly due to the woven strands of metallic wool.

KARL MICHEL. EUGEN HUTZENLAUB. 

